De (philosophy)

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De ( Chinese  德 , Pinyin Dé , Tongyong Pinyin Dé , W.-G. Tê / Teh , Zhuyin ㄉ ㄜ ˊ , Jyutping dak 1 ) is a key term in Chinese philosophy and describes the effectiveness of Dao.

definition

The Chinese definition of it is: What beings receive in order to arise is called De . It is about the effectiveness of the Dao , which is inherent in every thing as a principle determining its essence and which makes it what it is and through which it manifests itself in the phenomenal world.

Richard Wilhelm translated the word with LIFE (completely capitalized) based on the Bible verse Joh 1,4  EU . In this context, however, life does not have the usual biological meaning, but a specifically religious meaning:

In the beginning was the Word (λόγος, Logos ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In the beginning it was with God. Everything came into being through the word and without the word nothing came into being. In him was life and life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not grasped it .

Wilhelm thought he recognized an analogy: λόγος (word, SENSE) would correspond to Dao, LIFE would correspond to De. This profound translation is problematic because it subsequently imposes the Christian perspective on a different cultural area. However, the translation with true nature , true essence , spirit , power or work would also be possible . Sometimes the word De is translated as virtue in moral treatises .

The De is deep and mysterious. It enables people to return to simplicity and to become a role model for their surroundings.

The De in Daodejing

The term De gained philosophical significance in particular through the work Daodejing by Laozi , who is said to have lived in the 6th century BC. The De is already in the title of the work after the Dao . From the Dao comes first the De (here called the great, deep). The emergence of Dasein goes through the stages of the idea, of (spiritual) being, of seed, of reality. The expression or the formation of the De is only the consequence of the Dao.

Whoever keeps his spirit shining, so that he only embraces one thing, may well avoid inner conflict. He who makes his soul simple and humble, may well become like a child. He who purifies and purifies his inner vision may well get rid of his faults. Whoever loves his people as the ruler of the empire may well be able to work without action. When the gates of heaven open and close, it may well be pure receiving. Anyone who penetrates everything with a clear view may well remain without knowledge. Create and nourish, create and not own: work and not keep, increase and not control: that is secret De.

It is precisely the return to simplicity that enables the De to permeate and essentially grasp the individual person:

Whoever knows his masculine strength and maintains his feminine sensitivity is the world's stream bed (so one becomes an open channel for everything under heaven). If he is the river bed of the world, the eternal De does not leave him, and he can turn back again and become like a child. Whoever recognizes his light and still lingers in the dark is the model of the world. If he is the model of the world, he does not lack the eternal De, and he can turn back to what has not become.

What has not become ( Wuji ) is the state of opposition that precedes the beginning ( Taiji ). The De thus enables a return to the origin in the area of ​​transcendence. In this life, it leads to an ethical and compassionate dealings with others:

The one called has no heart for himself. He makes people's heart his heart. I am good to the good, and I am also good to the bad; for the De is goodness. I am faithful to the faithful, and also am faithful to the unfaithful; for the De is loyalty. The called one lives very quietly in the world, but he makes his heart wide for the world.

The Dao is realized by itself in unintentional action.

If the Dao is honored and the De is considered valuable, there is no need for any commandments: and everything always goes by itself. Therefore, let the Dao create, nourish, multiply, educate, complete, mature, raise, protect: create and not own, work and not keep, increase and not control: that is secret De.

The De at Zhuangzi

Zhuangzi lived around 365 BC to 290 BC , who in his work The True Book of the Southern Blossom Land described the De and its relationship to the Dao and the one :

In the beginning there was the non-being of non-being, was the unnameable. From this the one arose. This one - in its existence, but still without a form, which things have to get in order to be created - is called De. What does not yet have a form and, although parts have already been created in it, does not yet show any divisions, is called the term. What creates things in his persistence and movement and creates their immanent law in finished things is called the form. Physical form that protects the spiritual so that both show their special mode of action is called nature. If nature is cared for, it returns to de. This De at its highest level coincides with that primordial. In this agreement it turns out to be otherworldly. In its hereafter it turns out to be great. It closes off from the outside world. If it is closed off from the outside world, it becomes one with the forces of heaven and earth. This union is hidden. It appears like folly, appears like unconsciousness. That is the mystical De that corresponds with the great self-affecting.
All things that are beyond of existence and perish return to the abolition in oneness. But only the one who sees knows this suspension in unity. He does not develop any activity from the standpoint of his ego, but calms down with what is generally recognized. What is generally recognized enables (unhindered activity), this activity enables progress without adherence, this progress leads to the attainment of de; whoever has achieved the De is at the goal. For him the subjective conditioning has come to an end. It is over and no longer knows anything about being like that; that is the Dao.

literature

  • Dschuang Dsï: The real book from the southern bloom land . Translation by Richard Wilhelm. Diederichs, Düsseldorf 1972, ISBN 3-424-00462-6 .
  • Laotse: Tao Te King - The old man's book of meaning and life . Translation by Richard Wilhelm. Diederichs, Düsseldorf 1952.
  • Lexicon of the Eastern Wisdom Teachings . Patmos, Düsseldorf 2005, ISBN 3-491-96136-X .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Characters 德 - dé: (Chinese, English) [1] On: www.zdic.net, accessed on March 15, 2019 - Online
  2. ↑ Characters 德 - dé: (Chinese) [2] On: dict.revised.moe.edu.tw, accessed on March 15, 2019 - online
  3. ↑ Characters 德 - dé: (Chinese, German) [3] On: dict.leo.org, accessed on March 15, 2019 - Online
  4. ↑ a b Lexicon of Eastern Wisdom , p. 389
  5. ↑ ( Joh 1,1 ff.  EU )
  6. ↑ Cf. on the translation problems Laotse: Tao Te King - The Old Book of Meaning and Life . Translation by Richard Wilhelm. Düsseldorf 1952, introduction, p. XVIII.
  7. ↑ Lao Zi Dao De Jing . A philosophical translation by Lutz Geldsetzer, No. 21 ( memento from January 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 15, 2019
  8. ↑ Cf. Laotse, Tao Te King - The Old Book of Meaning and Life . Düsseldorf 1952, p. 12. Richard Wilhelm translates De here as LIFE
  9. ^ Translation by Lutz Geldsetzer, No. 28 ( memento of January 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 15, 2019
  10. ↑ Cf. Laotse, Tao Te King - The Old Book of Meaning and Life . Düsseldorf 1952, p. 30. Richard Wilhelm translates De here as LIFE.
  11. ↑ Laotse, Tao Te King - The Old Book of Meaning and Life . Düsseldorf 1952, p. 54. Richard Wilhelm translates De here as LIFE
  12. ↑ Cf. Laotse, Tao Te King - The Old Book of Meaning and Life . Düsseldorf 1952, p. 56. Richard Wilhelm translates De here with LEBEN and Dao with SINN.
  13. ↑ Dschuang Dsï, The True Book of the Southern Blossom Land . Translation by Richard Wilhelm, Düsseldorf 1972, p. 134. Wilhelm translates De with LIFE.
  14. ↑ Dschuang Dsï, The True Book of the Southern Blossom Land . Düsseldorf 1972, p. 44. Richard Wilhelm translates Dao with SINN and De with LEBEN.